GRAIN Growers will return to a familiar face for leadership, following the surprise resignation of chairman Andrew Carberry.

Mr Carberry will be replaced in the interim by long-term chairman John Eastburn, who filled the chairman’s seat of the organisation from 2008-2014.

Mr Eastburn will be at the helm for an important time for the business as it undergoes a strategic review.

“We are looking at constitutional change following consultation with our members, who felt the current constitution just doesn’t fit what GGL stands for today,” Mr Eastburn said.

He said Mr Carberry had stood down from the chairman’s role due to family commitments, but at this stage would remain a part of the GGL board.

“With the consultation process we want to go through, we want to be liaising extensively with our members across the nation and he just didn’t feel he could dedicate the necessary time to the role,” he said.

Mr Eastburn said when Mr Carberry was re-elected chairman last year the added time pressure of the consultation process had not been decided upon.

“It’s something that has come up since the elections last year,” he said.

Mr Carberry could not be contacted for comment.

Mr Eastburn said he would be pushing for a ‘refreshed’ constitution.

“We want to get rid of the obsolete material that goes right back to the days of the old Prime Wheat Association (the predecessor to today’s GGL),” he said.

Mr Eastburn said the GGL board had elected him to replace Mr Carberry in the interests of continuity and experience.

“The other two long-term grower directors are both planning to retire at the end of the year.”

The GGL board has four grower directors from NSW and two more recently appointed grower directors from WA.

“I was the most logical fit for the job,” he said.

Mr Eastburn said he did not plan to remain in the role long for a second time.

“I hope to see this constitutional reform through, I would not imagine I will be in the role more than a couple of years,” he said.

He said GGL would be tackling the perennial issue of standing proxies in the organisation’s elections.

“It is just going to be a slow process and we continue to chip away at it, there are less than half the standing proxies than there were at one stage, so we are getting there.”